


Night Fears

by fajrdrako



Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-09
Updated: 2013-04-09
Packaged: 2017-12-08 00:31:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/754879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fajrdrako/pseuds/fajrdrako
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Young Jack Harkness finds ways of coping in a dangerous and terrifying war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night Fears

**Author's Note:**

> Set long before either _Doctor Who_ or _Torchwood_ ; inspired by a line in _Torchwood_ 1x12, "Captain Jack Harkness".

Jack trembled in his bedroll, unable to sleep. He could not hear the silent enemy missiles, but he could feel the vibrations in the air as they battered against the force shield that covered their camp. Sometimes he could even see the flash of the explosions through the canvas roof of the tent. Otherwise the darkness was complete. 

And the silence. 

From time to time one of the men would move in his sleep, or grunt, or even quietly cough, but no one was fool enough to make noise at night. Sleep was precious, and anyone who woke any soldier lucky enough to be asleep would pay for it.

The silence and the darkness frightened Jack most. In the daytime, when it was light, he could be brave. Even at night, when the men were singing drunkenly around the food-grill, he was as tough as any of them. This was an adventure.

But at night, with the silence, he knew he was only a fragile body with only that fragile barrier between him and death and defeat.

The officers said the force shield would hold against anything the enemy could throw at them, but everyone knew the officers lied. The shields were crap. The missiles bombarding them were not.

Jack could feel the impact through the ground, through the air. There was no telling when the next one would hit, or whether the next one would be the one to crack the dome and kill everyone within.

Tomorrow, the advance. Unless orders changed. Unless the bombs came through and killed them during the night.

He couldn't bear it. He slipped out of his bedding and went to the next bed, crawling under Kit's covers without making a noise. Kit's body was cold and shivering. Jack wrapped his arms around him and Kit cuddled close, his nose against Jack's neck, their legs entwined. Sometimes Jack thought Kit was as frightened as he was, but he couldn't be sure.

At night, like this, they could not talk. Communication was shared breathing and warm touch. Shared memories, too, perhaps, of things they would not talk about, about life back home, where they had not been cold and afraid and overtired. They both knew the missiles had been falling even then, and it was cowardly to wish they were at home, where it seemed to be safe. They knew now there was no safety.

Jack hated his fears and he hated the enemy. There was no going back in either space or time: he would never again be the inexperienced boy he had been when he signed up. He was a soldier now. He would fight and he might die, and he might just make a difference.

He knew he couldn’t do it without Kit. Kit made it possible.

The gentle shuddering impacts in the sky above came no less often, but they seemed further away with Kit's breath on his collarbone and Kit's heart beating against his chest. After a while both Jack and Kit stopped trembling. Warmth and touch did their work as they pressed together, flesh hardening against flesh, lips touching lightly. Jack moved his hand to cup Kit's ass and Kit started kissing Jack's neck, his tongue hot against the skin.

Jack pulled the covers over their heads to muffle any sounds they might make, and kissed Kit properly on the mouth. Kit squirmed between Jack's legs and slipped his hands under Jack's shirt, pulling it up, caressing until he found Jack's nipples and pinched. Jack grunted silently, and pulled down Kit's shorts, rubbing against him, rolling on top of him. Kit's mouth sucked eagerly on Jack's skin, and it was Kit who climaxed first, with a long exhalation of breath. Jack's release took longer, explosive and victorious when it came.

They held each other, invincible.

Nothing could harm them now.


End file.
